Loyalty and Servitude
by XelixAhture
Summary: This is the kingdom that Dormin led. This is the way his people lived. And this is how they all betrayed their god in the end and left him to rot alone for eternity.
1. Chapter 1: Arrival for Departure

**This is a story that has been floating through my mind for years and years and years. Ever since I played Shadow of the Colossus, I kept wondering what the people might have been like and I analysed bits and pieces of the story and came up with some conclusions about Dormin at least. Based on his reactions when he first meets Wander, I was able to pick up some bitter feelings for mortals and an ironic laugh when Wander asks him to revive Mono. That laugh made it clear that revival was a common practice before and it was bittersweet to revisit that memory.**

**Note: when I use the term "Dorumin" I'm simply using the exact Japanese pronunciation. I use this for the singular reference of the god. When I use "Dormin" or "the Dormin" I'm referring to the entire entity as a sort of plural. If you have any questions, please ask!**

**Also, when I put Dorumin's words into quotation marks, it's being spoken aloud for anyone to hear. When it's italicized, it's only in the main character's mind.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shadow of the Colossus. But if I did... Well.**

**I hope you enjoy! It may take me a while to update, but I wanted to add this first chapter to see what you think of it. Please let me know!**

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><p><em>"I need you to bring back her soul," He pleaded, staring up into the empty hole.<em>

_The entity laughed. He laughed, despite the mortal's troubles and the boy gaped at the light in horror. "That maiden's soul? Souls that are once lost cannot be reclaimed… Is that not the law of mortals?" There was a bitter tone to his voice. Perhaps it was sarcasm. Wander's heart sank for a moment, but he didn't have time to think about it much, for the voices spoke again. "With that sword however… it may not be impossible."_

_"Really?!" He gasped, taking a step forward even though it did no good. The voice was above him._

_"That is, of course, if thou manage to accomplish what we askest."_

A large structure stood towering over the land. The various levels staggered up the height of the building in a beautifully arranged array of misfited balconies, archways and doors. The structure was made of some type of stone and seemed to glow brighter in the sunlight than anywhere else in all the land. The bottom level hosted an open entry way with the entire front wall consisting of only a few pillars, an altar, and a stair case on both ends leading up to it. The only thing on ground level was a small structure which looked like a minimalist version of the large temple itself. It contained a square of stone with words carved into it.  
>Senra knew these words well and didn't even bother to read them. She gulped down a fresh lungful of air before dipping her head low in respect. Pressing her bare feet to the stone of the small shrine, she felt the indents of the letters beneath her toes.<p>

The words came to her lips easily as she whispered them to her Lord and Lady. The air around her seemed to resonate with different sounds. There was the rolling of large stones, crunching and grinding together as if there were some far off avalanche echoing in her ears. Then there were the echoes of faint chime notes hitting her ears unnaturally. The experience made her feel like she was spinning in an empty room with nothing but those sounds and a feeling of rushing towards something important. After a short while, a voice whispered softly to her, "Welcome back, Lady Sen."

Her heart skipped a beat like it always did. She smiled and straightened to a standing position again, like she always did, and looked up into the large door near the tall roof of the temple. There was nothing there, but she could almost feel… something. Her white dress flowed around her knees for a moment in a soft breeze.

When she averted her gaze and turned towards the staircase to her left, she noticed Drelle watching her. The High Priest. A smile spread across his face and he offered a small bow. With a flick of his wrist, he beckoned for her to join him on the balcony six feet above where she stood.

Giggling, she trotted up the stairs, pulling up the hem of her dress as she did so. When she met the High Priest, she dipped her head in respect for the briefest of seconds, allowing her black hair to tumble over her shoulders. She straightened and gave him a wide grin.

"How did you find your travels?" He asked lightly, leading her down the long corridor. Large statues of strange creatures lined either side of the hall. They were supposedly different dominating aspects of the Dormin, different parts of Dorumin, but she'd never felt any connection with them. She glanced at the large hole in the ceiling as they passed under it. Light flitted downward and a soft rolling of rocks and bell chimes echoed towards the pair.

Drelle witnessed this unspoken exchange between the god and the girl and looked ahead without saying anything.

After a moment, they reached the end of the hall and a small pool of water and a spiraling stair case greeted them. It was always so dark in here.

"I wanted to speak with you," Drelle announced as they mounted the stairs. "But it can wait until dinner." Another silence passed between them. "I did want to warn you, however, King Atzul is here."

Senra clenched her jaw angrily but inhaled and exhaled slowly before speaking. "Why is he here?"

"You'll find out during dinner, but for now, let's just be civil." His amber eyes met hers in a calculated fashion.

She nodded, keeping her brown eyes fixed on his, waiting for him to say anything else.

He did not for a time and broke the eye contact uncomfortably. Once they had reached the top of the stairs, and turned to climb the slope to the gardens, he finally spoke again. "You never did answer my question."

Her eyes met his again, confusion passing over them.

"How were your travels?" His expression was soft and a smile curled over his features.

She returned the smile. "It was… peaceful. The lands are so quiet. I've never known anything like it. Every time I've had the opportunity to explore, I've always been with other people. But this… It was nice. After visiting each shrine, I feel more connected to Dorumin."

"I'm glad." Drelle clapped a hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly before letting go. They walked again in silence. Drelle cleared his throat a few times awkwardly.

"What does King Atzul want?" She finally asked, clutching his arm and pulling him to a stop. Worry swam in her irises as she stared at him expectantly.

"I told you that you'd know at dinner…" He wrapped his fingers around hers, pulling her hand off his bicep. His hand dwarfed hers.

"Could you please give me a hint?" She begged. "You know how I feel."

He sighed, and wrapped her hand in both of his. "He wants you to go with him to the High Palace."

Her eyes widened and she curled her fingers tightly around his.

"I think that… He thinks that because he knows you, he can get you on his side and you would be an ideal candidate to convince the High King to trust everything he's going to say."

"What exactly does he want me to convince the High King of?"

"I'm not sure, but all I know is that he hopes that the High King will see you as a powerful figure of the temple, next to me, and that your word will serve as law…"

"If he thinks that I'm going to go against Dorumin then he's-"

"Shhh, don't worry. Whatever you tell King Geru is up to you. Chances are, you'll be a High Priestess some day. King Atzul cannot control you." He gave her hand a firm squeeze. "You wanted me to give you a hint, that's all you're getting."

Sighing, she hung her head and bit her lip, worry seeping into her bones. Her trip had been peaceful, but now she felt stressed again.

"Come on, you still haven't rested." Drelle tugged her along by the hand and they finally made their way up to the gardens.

Later that evening, everyone sat on the raised platform that overlooked the gardens. A large wooden table had been laid out with chairs completely surrounding it. Everyone had gathered in the seats and enormous plates of food filled the table space.

King Atzul had brought a few musicians to play their instruments quietly in the background. He and his servants had claimed a post at the head of the table, next to her and Drelle. Every time she muttered something under her breath at something he said or clenched her fist or made a face, Drelle would promptly kick her in the shin. His face said he was not in the mood for her to be a child today.

She shot a glare at Drelle and distanced herself from everything for a moment, staring at the trees in the garden and the slowly flowing waters. She took a deep breath.

"Everything okay, m'lady?" Atzul leaned forward and spoke so only she could hear.

She was tempted to cringe away from him and sneer in disgust. Instead she nodded and maintained a false calm. "There's a lot going on around me, I'm not used to this kind of gathering." She smiled. "It's overwhelming. I have no idea how you do it."

Atzul smiled and it was as if he still saw her as his loyal soldier. "You never were one to partake in social gatherings."

"I prefer the quiet."

He nodded then paused a moment, and continued. "After your coronation ceremony, you'll be right alongside High Priest Drelle and these social gatherings will be somewhat mandatory."

She blanched. "What?"

"I understand that the two of you aren't getting married, or have any romantic affiliations, and I won't judge you for that, but you'll both be leaders here, and those things come with the job."

She held back her shocked reaction. "I-" She spun in her seat to face Drelle who nodded. She widened her eyes in shock. This was too soon.

"You seem surprised, Lady Senra."

She scrunched her face. "Yeah. But I didn't think you had an interest in the affairs of the Shrine of Worship. I didn't assume you'd care about a coronation ceremony for me."

Atzul laughed. "Why else would I be here?"

She sighed. "I figured you just wanted something." She met his eyes. "I know you do."

"I was hoping to take you to meet the High King myself. He would very much like to meet the new High Priestess. There has been talk of things falling out of balance with only one High Priest and I'm sure King Geru will be relieved."

She nodded, absently and turned to Drelle. She gave him a pleading look but he didn't seem to understand.

Her head was reeling. "I think I need to be excused." She stood, shoving her chair outward. Everyone looked at her. Right. This was supposed to be her feast. She hesitated for a moment before turning on heel and striding towards the stairs leading up to yet another large balcony.

She sat in the cool night air and let the taste of the wind fill her mind. Pressing her back to the cold stone wall, she let herself relaxing.

Then she heard footsteps.

She considered climbing higher and hiding somewhere else in the temple, but ended up staying put. She pulled her knees up to her chest.

"Senra," Drelle murmured seating himself right next to her so that their legs touched. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, but I thought you would be excited."

"This was sprung on me. I find that quite rude." Her voice was almost a hiss. "And I'm supposed to leave soon and go see the High King and make an impression? I am not ready. I'm not some game piece to just be pushed into the fray in your place."

"No, you're not. And I'm not sending you in my place, I just believe that you _are_ ready." He placed his hand on her bare knee.

She almost knocked his hand away, but decided to calm down instead.

He sat there at a loss for words or actions. His face looked pained. Then he pressed his lips into a fine line. "There's going to be more soon."

She looked up in confusion.

"King Atzul wants you to talk to the King, yes, but there's even more that he'll tell you when you get to the palace. I hope you're ready, because I don't even know what it might be. I don't know what he's planning, but you know him better than I do. I don't trust him, but I trust you."

She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. He stiffened but then relaxed. "I'll be down soon, okay?"

He nodded, straightening up to a standing position.

She stayed only for a few minutes before her thoughts were interrupted.

_Senra,_ whispered Dorumin. _It's time for your coronation._

She sighed and stood up, flexing her muscles slightly. If Dorumin was telling her, then he clearly wanted her to go. If he had allowed everyone to go through this, then he clearly wanted her to serve him as a High Priestess. It wouldn't really be so bad, would it?

She lifted her dress and swept herself down the stairs quickly.

When she returned, everyone had finished eating and the food was being carried away by Atzul's servants.

Drelle and Atzul were standing and talking. After a while, they noticed her standing there. She met Drelle's eyes for a moment and then met Atzul's.

She stepped forward to meet them.


	2. Chapter 2: Royals

**Soooo... I kinda redid some of the last chapter. I'm sorry. I've got the next nine chapters written out already, but I haven't gotten around to editing them yet. Let me know what you think!**

**&TheFreelancerseal: I didn't really expect too many views/reviews since this game is so old and the fanbase is dwindling, so y'know. I've mostly written this for myself since it's been an ongoing idea in my head. Getting it to "paper" gets it out of my head and makes me feel more... complete? I guess. Thank you though. That means a lot to me c: I've got plenty more chapters. I just hope you like them. Haha.**

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><p>Apparently a lot of the things Drelle had taught her how to do were really tasks meant for a High Priest or Priestess. She didn't realize how much he had prepared her, but it almost made her even more upset. He'd planned this all along and had never bothered to tell her of his intentions. He'd clearly told Atzul, her former employer which frustrated her all the more.<p>

It had been a few days since her coronation and she was getting more and more used to the idea of her being the High Priestess. She knew that deep down, a part of her had expected this, and Dorumin was completely okay with it.

"Drelle," she called out, stepping into his chambers. It was technically meant to be her chambers too, but even though a few High Priests and High Priestesses ruled together without marriage, there was still only one room. And that idea made her uncomfortable. She had set up a sleeping space in the oversized storage area down the hall.

"Yes Sen?" Drelle answered, poking his head out from behind an armoire door. He was shirtless.

"Uhm," She stuttered. "I just wanted to say bye."

He selected a shirt and tugged it over his head.

"S-sorry for just barging in."

He laughed. "It's fine. I'm glad you came to say good bye. I wasn't sure if you were still mad at me."

She shrugged. "I'll live."

He smiled.

"You were right you know. I really do like the idea of being the High Priestess."

Chuckling, he sat on his bed and gestured for her to join him. Blushing, she sat perched on the very edge of the mattress. "Many people had wondered why I hadn't selected a High Priestess. They kept expecting me to marry and allow that person into the position that way. They were judging me for not taking a wife and accusing me of throwing things off balance." He sighed. "The Dormin are entities of opposites: male and female, gentle and harsh, light and dark. People thought that by me staying the only High Priest, that I was to blame for anything that might ever come into play. Little did they all know, little did I know, that we already had a High Priestess. I didn't realize it until Dorumin told me. You stepped right up to the position the moment you joined the Shrine. Dorumin could sense the potential in you immediately. Nothing was ever out of balance. But… I did not know. I didn't select anyone. I was uncertain. I assumed I had to marry the High Priestess. It was expected anyway, like with nobility. However, Dorumin told me that wasn't true. I had let my selfish worries get in the way of everything… I didn't want to marry someone I didn't love, you know." He laughed nervously. "Then you came along, and everything was fixed. Thank you."

She blushed, not knowing what to say.

"I was under the impression that I had to pick. How very selfish of me."

"I'm sorry that you couldn't find a more traditional and socially acceptable solution." Senra mumbled.

"What?" He scrunched his face. "Yeah I want to marry someone one day, but ruling next to them might put our relationship in jeopardy. No, my best friend ruling with me and my ability to marry only for love… that's a perfect solution." He knocked his knee on hers.

She laughed. "So, are there any crushes that you're going to run and propose to now?"

He chuckled. "Not really." He flicked his eyes towards her face and then to the doorway. "You need to leave soon, don't you?"

She nodded. "Atzul says he wants me to meet several people today, the High King Geru included."

"Good luck," Drelle offered, while resting his hand on her knee. "Don't let him push you around. Okay?"

She nodded, all too aware at once how close they were sitting and how her short dress exposed the bare flesh of her knee where his palm rested. Her cheeks burned. "I-I'll see you later." She stood and offered a quick bow and a wave before rushing out of the room, reaching her chambers breathlessly.

_What in the world was that?_ She silently questioned herself, pressing the wooden door shut behind her.

Several hours later, they had reached the path outside the High Palace. It consisted of a large fissure in the cliff face leading all the way to a large opening.

The Palace entrance was built to impress. It almost looked like a cliff edge, flat on top, flat on the sides and reaching into the sky as a mighty and stout formation of stone.

The face consisted of balconies on all levels with pillars racing up the edge in its entirety. Vines and moss climbed upwards and sprawled sleepily against the cold rock. A few guards could be seen peering down from their posts, clad in the white and gold armor of the High Palace.

Senra remembered back to when she was a part of Atzul's guard. She had worn the light and dark shades of blue that symbolized his court and had always worn a silver chain mail instead of the bronze-y-gold color the High Guard wore.

The valley between the cliffs, the path that led here, opened up to sprawl along the length of the wall like a serpent skirting around its prey deliberately. A large valley opened up before them and separated the path they were on from the structure itself. Several bridges stretched across the crevasse and allowed them to cross. Senra kept her distance from Atzul, not entirely trusting him to not throw her over the edge if tempted.

A roaring wind swept upwards and pulled her skirt in all directions. Her hair was also flying wildly about, making it hard to see.

Somehow they made it to the other side. The horses calmly trotted across the stone paths and into the open gates. The moment they were inside, the loud howl of the wind had quieted. It was still whistling outside, but the difference in volume almost equivalated to silence.

The building smelled of fresh herbs and food. Senra's stomach growled. It had been a while since she had eaten.

A servant greeted them. "This way please," He requested, gesturing with one long hand to a hall to their left. They took the ramp upwards and Senra was struck by how much foliage was in the building. It was as if the outside was a hard rock casing, and the inside was soft, and alive. Plants grew out of as many surfaces as they could, with the stone paths complimenting them in a strange way. Birds and other small animals peered at them from the tree branches above.

It was surreal.

"I hope you don't mind, but once we reach the next floor you'll be asked to dismount your horses and continue on foot." The man explained in a low, gravelly voice.

Senra nodded while Atzul answered with, "Of course. I expect they'll be well taken care of."

"Of course, sir." Their guide didn't say anything else, just kept his eyes forward.

_I wonder if he knows how absolutely awful Atzul is._ She silently mused. The thought was to herself but Dorumin had been listening anyway.

_He isn't favored here. _The response was short with no further explanation other than those cryptic words.

Senra sighed and snapped back into herself when the horses stopped. Everyone else dismounted and she was startled when the guide approached her and offered his hand.

"M'lady," He spoke like it was a question, but held his hand out as if it was more of an expectation.

She took his hand and let him help her down. A few servants nearby took the reins of their horses and led them away.

"Your gear will be brought to your respective rooms," Their guide announced. His voice held too much authority for Senra to assume he was a servant. She couldn't decide what he was. "I assume you'll like to freshen up before meeting with the High King and Queen." He glanced at Senra's hair in particular and she ran a hand along it to find that the wind had tangled it.

She gaped in horror as she began to run her fingers through it in an effort to tame it.

The guide took her by the wrists and gently pried her hands away with a soft smile. "The servants will help you look more presentable," He announced. "This way."

Senra kept fixing her hair as she followed the man, now self-conscious. She only did it when his back was turned, but she thought he knew she was doing it anyway.

He led them up a flight of stairs and into a large sun-lit room with mirrors adorning the walls. Vines curled around their oval reflections and a few leaves framed the glass itself, still hanging from their stems. Again, Senra was struck by the amount of nature contained in the palace.

Several chairs and tables also sat scattered about the room. A woman wearing a long flowing white dress with a gold sash tied around her waist gestured for Sen to join her at her table.

She groaned inwardly at the thought of being made up just to impress someone who she was supposedly on equal footing with.

The woman combed out Senra's hair and braided the top half into several little braids all tied together in the back with the rest of her hair flowing down her back. She had tried to put make up on Sen but she had promptly refused.

"I'm just going to do up your eyes," the servant explained.

Senra shook her head. "No thanks. My eyes are fine." She fixed the woman with a stare and excused herself from the table. The servant bowed and allowed Sen to go.

Everyone else was allowing themselves to be fully pampered and thus hadn't finished yet.

She made her way to their guide who sat reading a book at a table by one of the windows. It faced away from the entrance and towards a huge winding gorge with water flowing along the bottom. A few hawks swooped around in the wind, dipping and diving in an elegant dance.

"Do you mind if I join you?" She asked placing her hand on back of the chair.

The man shrugged.

She sat. "So, I never caught your name."

"It's Roth, Lady Senra." He placed his hand on his book to mark where he had been.

"What do you do here?" She asked politely.

"I'm the Prince's teacher and the High King's trusted general."

"Why are you leading us around then and not some servant?" She immediately regretted asking the question as soon as it was out.

Thankfully, Roth didn't seem to care, or forgave her due to her newfound status. "The King's brother and the High Priestess are much more important than some other visitor, no?"

She offered an apologetic smile. She was about to say something when King Atzul approached them.

"I believe we are ready, sir."

His hair was basically the same as always, tied into ropes that hung behind his head. However, now he wore dark lines accentuating his eyes and had blue lines blending towards his hairline. He definitely looked regal, but Senra was glad she hadn't accepted the makeup, even if it was traditional.

Roth stood. "This way."

The group passed through seemingly endless halls and chambers until they finally found themselves at a set of large double doors. Roth muttered something to the guards who immediately pushed the door open.

"They'll be expecting you," Roth explained, gesturing for the group to enter.

Atzul waved his servants away who bowed and backed away. It was just the three of them to enter the room.

Roth led their group and Senra was forced to walk next to Atzul.

The throne room was large with a huge pair of feet standing behind the thrones. Senra stared, confused. There were feet… behind the thrones.

Atzul tugged on her arm to make her follow. She hadn't even realized that she had stopped.

She decided not to question the enormous stone feet and continued walking. When she reached the stairs at the foot of the trio of thrones, Atzul bowed and she followed suit.

The High King was seated on her left with the Queen on her right. King Geru was a somewhat large man. His face held a large, graying beard with some brown still showing through. His hair was smoothed down over his shoulders with a few small braided strands mixed in. He wore all white aside for a few pieces of gold armor with elegant symbols and drawings on them.

Queen Furia was dressed in a similar way. Her dress was pure white with a gold corset laid over the top. Her cuffs and the hem of her dress were also gold with yellow designs contained in the gold.

The third throne was empty. Prince Rette wasn't there. The empty chair sat next to Queen Furia and was all the way to Senra's right.

"You may stand," Boomed King Geru.

Senra nodded and rose back to her feet, brushing off the knee portion of her dress. She caught Atzul watching her with a strange look on his face.

She didn't have time to decipher it because he took a step forward. "Brother," He began. "It's been some time."

"Indeed it has," Geru agreed.

"May I introduce Lady Senra, the new High Priestess."

"Senra," Queen Furia greeted. "You're a very beautiful young lady."

"Thank you." Sen bowed at the compliment. "You are too," she returned politely.

"Oh! Thank you." Queen Furia giggled slightly.

"When are you planning your wedding with High Priest Drelle?" King Geru asked.

Senra covered her mouth and turned her head as she choked down a laugh. A single snort made it through. Pressing her lips together to hide her smile she turned back. She didn't miss the look that Atzul gave her this time. Anger. "Drelle and I do not plan to wed to each other."

"You don't?" Queen Furia looked startled.

"Uhm, no." Sen folded her arms behind her back and began fidgeting. "We have a relationship based solely on respect and friendship. We have no romantic interest in one another and we are only two friends standing together with a common goal."

King Geru nodded. "I've heard of this happening before, but that was ages ago."

Sen nodded awkwardly.

Geru quickly changed the subject. "Atzul, I recall you wished to hold an audience for Senra and the outsider."

Senra turned her head to the aforementioned king, furrowing her brows. Outsider?

"Yes, if you would be so kind."

"The gentleman is being brought in by my son," Queen Furia announced. "They have prepared a room for you to talk."

Sen narrowed her eyes and kept her gaze fixed on Atzul.

"Thank you my lady." He bowed deeply.

"Roth," King Geru barked. "Please take these two to see my son and the outsider."

There it was again. Outsider. Senra bit back any questions she had and decided to save them for Atzul.

"I have arranged for all of us to eat together tomorrow after you have sufficiently rested," Geru continued. "We will see you there." With a flick of his wrist, they were dismissed.

Roth appeared by their side and waved them towards a hall branching off of the throne room.

Once they had left the room, Senra caught Atzul's eyes. "What outsider was he talking about?"

Atzul smiled, "You're about to meet him."

Senra frowned. "Is he really still alive? The law states that any outsider must be-"

"Killed? Isn't that a bit barbaric? We could learn something from other people."

Roth cast a glance over his shoulder at the two as they argued.

"I would think that someone holding the title of 'king' would know better than to go against Lord Dorumin. You know very well-"

Atzul held up his hand dismissively. "Just meet him. He's a nice fellow."

They had reached a door. Roth opened it and waited for them to enter before stepping in and shutting the door.

The room was a library with tables and shelves and rows and rows of books. Books lined every wall and seemed to sit upon every table as well. Servants were bustling about carrying stacks of books and trying to categorize them.

Atzul pointed to a table before darting off in that direction. She followed.

At the table sat a young man, about her age dressed in a white and gold tunic and plain white trousers. It seemed to be a very simple outfit, but the gold woven into his hair betrayed his status. This was Prince Rette. His hair was short yet fell in his face. It was a beautiful shade of ginger red and his eyes were a sky blue.

Next to the Prince sat a man of about the same age. He had deep burgundy hair that hung around his head and forest green eyes. She kept searching for anything outlandish about him: extra fingers, a third eye, blemished skin… She found nothing. He looked up and grinned at the trio approaching him. He caught Senra's eyes and waved. He was definitely cocky.

She frowned and bowed upon catching the eye of the Prince. They had now reached the table and Rette gestured for them to sit.

Senra chose a seat next to the Prince and Roth settled on the other side of him. That left Roth and Atzul to sit on either side of the outsider and gave Senra some much appreciated distance from him.

"Prince, this is Senra, the new High Priestess," Roth provided.

Prince Rette stood up and offered her a deep bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you my lady." He sat himself back down and offered her a beaming smile.

She blushed and returned the smile. "It's an honor." She dipped her head respectfully.

"Prince Rette." Atzul greeted, dipping his head briefly before turning to the outsider. "Ko, I'd like you to meet Senra. She used to be a member of my Royal Guard but is not the High Priestess in charge of all religious affairs for our people."

Senra had never thought of herself as being quite so important but her heart skipped a little when she heard an introduction like that.

Ko nodded, smiling at her. "Pleased to meet you."

She returned the nod, assuming it to be something like the tiny bows they did when they lowered only their heads.

"How long you been a priestess?" Ko asked, apparently attempting to make friendly conversation.

"Six years," She replied nervously.

"You don't look that old. How long were you in the King's Royal Guard?"

"About a year?" She glanced at Atzul who nodded.

"So I hear you want me killed because I'm an outsider." Ko cut straight to the chase.

"That is not my wish, simply the wish of my master." She retorted, irritation bubbling inside of her stomach.

"I'll have you know that such claims don't hold much stock where I come from. Is he even real, or do you just hate the idea of outsiders?"

"He _is _real. He's spoken with me." She felt the anger begin to turn to cold fury.

"You're probably just hearing voices. Where I come from, gods don't speak."

She allowed her hate to reflect her expression.

"Hey, don't get so upset. I'm just being absolutely honest."

"Have you ever almost died?" She asked coolly.

He flinched at the cutting tone of her voice. "No, sorry."

"I have." She forced herself to calm down. "I was being attacked by bandits. One of them stabbed me. I was scared, bleeding. I was dying." She locked her gaze onto his. "I had never respected Dorumin before. I never appreciated him as much as I should have. I was young and stupid." Her eyes flicked to Atzul and back to Ko. The blood was pounding in her veins. "I knew I was dying, and I panicked. The bandits had wanted to resurrect their friend who had been executed earlier that day. They succeeded and their dead friend walked away on his own two legs. I however, was not so lucky. For the first time in my life, I heard Dorumin. He instructed me to get onto the altar. I managed to heft myself up and lay down. I finally died. It was terrifying, but, I woke up the next morning with all of my wounds gone. I was alive. My clothes were soaked in blood, which proved that I did not simply dream it all. So please, tell me again how Dorumin is just a voice in my head. Please tell me again that he's not real." She had leaned forward with her elbows pressed against the table and Ko was fidgeting as she recounted her tale.

"Well, if you say so…" He mumbled.

She leaned back in her chair and outright glared at him. She didn't even try to hide her disgust.

"Senra," Atzul barked. "Try to be a little less hostile to our guest."

"He's supposed to be dead." She spat.

Atzul shook his head and fixed her with a cold stare.

"I think we should take a break." Prince Rette interrupted. "Senra, would you please come with me?" His voice was melodic and soothing.

"Yeah," she whispered, standing up.

As they walked away from the table, she heard the voice of Roth growling, "You shouldn't have provoked her."

"She's always had an uncontrollable temper," Atzul added with a sigh.

She turned back and gave Atzul a look but she then noticed that Ko was staring at her with an apology written on his face.

She blanched and turned away.

"I'm truly sorry that we have not done anything about that man," Prince Rette muttered. "My uncle has convinced my father to allow him to stay alive until we can convince the Dormin that he is not a threat. He was hoping that he could start by convincing you."

"If he's going to start telling people that Dorumin isn't real, then I'd say he is a threat." Sen pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on.

"He really is very kind. I don't think that he deserves to be killed." They had reached a hall way and immediately turned to their left where a stair case climbed its way up to the next level.

She enjoyed the feeling of the sun on her back as they took the steps up. "I don't know," she whispered. "Maybe I'm not ready to be making any of the calls. I've only been the High Priestess for a little while."

"You're still connected to Dorumin, are you not?"

"Yeah," she replied, fiddling with a necklace that she wore. It was of a horned bird's skull, made of stone.

"You could always ask him."

She nodded, not really caring that he couldn't see her as he rounded the corner above her.

The next level they reached was that of an enormous garden. They were now at the top of the building and a huge statue towered over them. It was almost human like with two enormous curling horns jutting out of its head. It appeared to be wearing clothes of some sort. A kilt or long tunic hung out around its legs and she realized that its feet were in the ground. They must have been in the throne room.

"What is this?" She asked in wonder. It was constructed of a beautiful black stone with elegant scrawling etched in gold all over its body.

"This is our representation of one of the statues in the Shrine of Worship," Prince Rette announced proudly, waiting for her to come up beside him. "Each large city has one. The sites these statues are placed in are significant. Surely you knew that?"

"Well yeah, but I've never had the chance to see one," She breathed.

"There are fifteen more throughout the land, all constructed by our finest craftsman and artisans in tribute to our beloved Dormin."

Senra took several more steps forward. Something about the statue made her heart speed up. It was different from the statues in the temple, but it seemed very familiar.

"We're allowed to climb it," Prince Rette informed her. He grinned. "Would you care to?"

She returned his smile and the two raced up to the giant idol.


End file.
